


Oct. 16th, “Listen. No, Really Listen.”

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25064086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Fictober 2019.I’ve never written them as having kids, but I figured I’d give it a shot on this prompt. Baby gets left on their front step, and what are they to do?
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Kudos: 7





	Oct. 16th, “Listen. No, Really Listen.”

“You got Snafu, how many I help you?” Snafu’s voice was difficult to hear between the din in the background and… “Is that a baby?” 

“He got left on the doorstep,” Eugene fussed as he tried to adjust the baby to his other shoulder, away from the phone, even as the baby tried to shove his little face and head full of dark curls into his chest. “I was cleaning the house, the doorbell rings, by the time I get there whoever rang it is gone, but there’s a basket and-” 

“Baby?” Snafu asked. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “Maybe six months old, skinny, and upset as can be right now. I ran all up and down the road looking for whoever left him, but whoever it was must have moved fast.” 

“Maybe they’re thinkin’ your old man still lives there? I mean, if you absolutely had to drop a baby somewhere, with a doctor would be a good spot,” Snafu said.

“That might be it. There’s a note in the basket, but I’ve got my arms full right now so I haven’t read it yet,” he sighed as he bounced gently, hoping it would ease the baby’s sobbing. “I hate to ask this, but would the shop let you come home early today?” 

“Hold on,” Snafu said, and Eugene could hear him move away from the phone just a bit. “Hey! Somebody left a kid in our driveway! Can I head home, give Gene some help?” 

Not far enough away from the phone, however, and Eugene cursed at the combined volume of Snafu yelling, the shop din, and the baby on his other shoulder. He could deal with noise, but it was an awful lot right at the moment.

“That’s fuckin’ weird!” came the shouted reply from someone in the shop. “Yeah, go home. We got it for today!” 

“You and the kiddo hold tight; I’m on my way,” Snafu hung up, and Eugene all but tossed the phone back down to the set. 

“I know. You’re hungry, tired, probably more hungry than anything else honestly, but I don’t have much in the way of food for you, buddy,” Eugene soothed as he walked them back to the kitchen and checked the fridge again, as if the contents (beer, half a loaf of bread, and a wedge of cheese) would have somehow changed. “We need groceries, and even if we’d gotten ‘em yesterday, don’t usually buy for a baby, so no idea if we’d have anything…that isn’t what you wanna hear though. Hell, I’m sayin’ it, and it isn’t what I wanna hear.” 

“Dad’s in his office hours now, or I’d call him and have him bring something for you,” he continued, bouncing gently on his feet, hoping to soothe the painful sounding crying from the baby. “Shit. Should have had Snafu pick something up…” 

He shifted the baby to his hip as he went back to the phone, and dialed Mary and Sid. 

“Phillips’ residence,” Mary sounded so warm, so cheerful, so like someone who might have something fit for a baby in her fridge. 

“Mary, I have a baby.” 

“All on your own? Well, color me impressed. Does Snafu know, or is that a surprise for when he gets home?” 

Eugene sighed. “Funny. He does know, and he’s on his way home, but I have no food suitable for a baby, and I didn’t think to ask Snafu to get us anything, and the little guy is just bawling his eyes out, and I mean, I’ve never heard a baby cry this hard, and I don’t think they can hurt themselves doing that, but what if they can, and-” 

“Eugene,” Mary interrupted softly. “How about I bring over some things the baby can probably eat, and then we can all relax until Snafu gets home?” 

“Okay, yeah. Thank you; I’ll find a way to pay you back, have you and Sid over for dinner this weekend maybe, or-” 

Mary laughed. “Just relax. I’ll be over quick as I can.” 

It helped, knowing the cavalry was on the way, but the baby didn’t understand that, and his pitiful cries weren’t lessening. 

“Buddy…you gotta calm down. Why am I telling you that? You don’t know what ‘calm’ is, really. And why should you? You got reason to cry,” he hummed as he tried another circuit around the first floor of the house. “Look, here’s Queen! Say hi to the kitty!” 

He knelt down to try and show him Queen, but Queen only sniffed the baby’s foot, looked at him as if to say ‘Really? This is the best you can do?’ and flounced away upstairs. 

“Okay. How about the backyard, huh? We’ll go see what’s out there,” he said as he went to the front door, unlocked it for Snafu and Mary, and then went out to the backyard. 

The afternoon was turning into the soft early evening, and the sun filtered through the trees that lined the edges of the yard, just outside of the fence Snafu had built to make sure the cats stayed safe whenever they went out. Birds chirped in the branches that extended over the fence, flitting through the leaves. 

It was one of Eugene’s favorite sections of the yard, along with the garden, and he headed straight for it. 

“Look, see all the birds? They make noise too, but they sing. If we stop crying, we can hear them better.” 

The crying slowed just a bit, as the baby started to peer around the yard, eyes red and obviously tired, little lower lip stuck out in a pout. 

“That’s better, see? Listen,” he said softly. 

The crying started to veer up in volume, but he went closer to the branches, pointing out the tiny sparrows, the swallows, the robins, and others hopping about. “No, really listen.” 

Finally, the crying slowed to sniffles and the occasional whine as the bird song surrounded them. 

“Calms me down too, being out here with them,” he said, gently patting the baby’s back. 

He didn’t pay much attention to how long they stayed there, the baby calming enough to switch from sniffling to babbling, particularly something that sounded like ‘bird’, a chubby hand pointing to the birds as they fluttered by. 

“You two still hungry?” Mary’s voice startled him back to reality, and he turned to find her and Snafu stood at the back of the yard, smiling. 

“How long have you two been there?” 

“Long enough to know you were all panicked for nothing. Look at you, you got this,” Snafu replied. 

“Not really,” he blushed. “Just lucky he likes the birds too.” 

“Well, why don’t you say good night to the birds and come inside. We got groceries, and that note read too. Think you’ll be interested to give a read as well,” Mary said and lead the way inside. 

They settled in the kitchen, and the baby turned to him with the tiniest, saddest look on his face at the lack of birdsong. The fussing that started up was quiet, but he sighed internally at the thought of the baby being upset again, when he’d just gotten him happy. 

“Gimme. You need a break,” Snafu said, taking the baby from his arms. 

The baby stared at Snafu wide-eyed as Snafu settled him on his hip, murmuring something in French, almost instantly quieting him. 

“How…” Eugene stared. 

“Lot of neighborhood siblings. Used to babysit for most of the neighbors once I was old enough. Like having a bunch of little brothers and sisters,” Snafu replied as Mary handed him a bowl of what looked like strained peaches and a spoon. 

“You gotta eat up nice, okay? We don’t got a high chair for ya,” Snafu said to the baby as he sat and set the baby on his lap. He moved a spoonful of peaches towards the baby, who instantly batted the spoon out of his hand and onto the floor. 

Snafu sighed. “Okay, alright, Armand. I asked for that, didn’t I? Invited it by saying anything at all…” 

Mary snickered. “You jinxed it is what ya did, Snaf. Didn’t he, little man?” 

The baby, apparently named Armand, finally gave them a smile as Snafu handed him back over so he could clean the floor. 

“You read that note, and I’ll take Armand back in a moment and we’ll try again,” Snafu said. “Not gonna toss the spoon to the floor this time, right? “

“Yah,” Armand babbled. 

“Here,” Mary said, and handed over the note from the basket. “You read, and I’ll help Snaf.” 

“I’ve got it,” Snafu fussed. 

“I’m here to help, let me,” Mary insisted. 

As they playfully argued, Eugene bounced Armand on his leg and set to reading the note. It was short: 

_I’ve watched you and who I can only assume is your husband for awhile now. I’ve been struggling to keep Armand and myself fed and safe since my parents kicked me out, and I know I can’t keep it up much longer. I have enough money to start over somewhere else, and as much as I don’t want to give my baby boy up…I want him to be safe, and healthy, and happy, and with people caring for him who are all those things too. You both seem like those people, who won’t judge me too harshly for my actions. Please, raise him well like I know you will, and let him know his momma loved him very much._

_Thank you._

It was unsigned, and in handwriting his didn’t recognize. Who knew how far away the woman had come from, or how far away she was now. He regretted he couldn’t somehow reach her and help her, but if nothing else, he could do as she asked, as long as Snafu was ready for it as well.

“So…we have a baby?” 

Snafu gave him a soft, careful glance as he stood up from the floor. “I mean…I know the other options. Had a sibling end up there…foster care, and all that. Never did hear from her again. So…” 

“We have a baby,” Eugene smiled. 

“We have a baby,” Snafu grinned. “I mean, there’ll be stuff we have to work out. Who goes in to set up him for school, and all that, but with everything we’ve seen so far…think we can figure that all out. Right, little man?” 

Armand giggled, and it felt right in a way he hadn’t realized it would. Fatherhood had crossed his mind before, and he’d talked it over with Snafu, but they’d figured there would simply be no way to adopt without the less kind and tolerating sort of people…asking questions. Getting in their business, keeping them from being a happy family. They were lucky in that overall, there weren’t many like that, but even the few could make things difficult. 

“Congratulations are in order!” Mary chirped as she tossed the used rags into their sink, the mess cleaned and the floor back to shining. “Let me call Sid, and on some friends. You’ll need so much…diapers, a crib, some toys of course, changing table, and that’s just the bare bones…we’ll get you taken care of, give me five minutes!” 

“We can buy some of it,” Eugene protested. That was a lot of kindness to ask from everyone. 

“At this hour? From who? You need at least the diapers and bed tonight, so don’t you argue with me,” Mary replied. “And keep feeding him! He’s happy for the moment, but he’s still gotta be hungry!” 

They watched her head for the phone, and laughed. 

“The hell would we do without her?” Snafu said as he picked up the spoon and bowl and started to try and feed Armand again.

“Be pretty goddamn hopeless, I think. Thank heavens for Mary,” he replied as caught some of the peach falling from Armand’s mouth. “Gotta actually try and get in his mouth, Snaf.” 

“I’m tryin’,” Snafu replied. “Peach not your thing, buddy?” 

As if made of pure and adorable spite, Armand swallowed the next spoonful down happily.

Snafu smiled. “What a little asshole. How is possible to love someone that impossible so damn much?” 

“Same way I love you,” Eugene smiled, even as a spoonful of peach hit him in the face. 

“Spoon slipped,” Snafu giggled. 

“Lies, but I still love your ass,” Eugene shook his head. “Someone is gonna need a bath after this.” 

“Nah,” Armand said, in the process spitting out his current spoonful of peach onto his already stained onesie. 

“Also lies,” Eugene laughed. “C’mon. Let’s get you cleaned up before the neighborhood comes over with things for you.”

“Nah,” Armand replied. 

“Wanna bet ten bucks his first word is no?” Snafu asked as they headed for the bathroom upstairs, passing Mary, still on the phone, a notepad full of notes in front of her. 

“I’ll be happy no matter what it is,” Eugene said. “Just can’t wait to hear it.” 

“Maybe his mom’ll reach back out,” Snafu said quietly. “Would love to let her know what it is. Give her updates on him.” 

“I hope she will,” Eugene replied. “I want her to know he’s gonna be safe, and happy, and healthy. And clean, in a little bit.” 

By the time everyone was over, with clothes, diapers, toys, and just about every other baby-related item they could have wanted or needed, he was. Dressed in a fresh diaper and clothes, he was a charmer to everyone, and it felt like the house was complete with him there. They both knew there was plenty difficult to come, probably sleepless nights as Armand adjusted to a new home, and more as he grew, but they were ready for it. The good and the bad, and everything in between.


End file.
